One Midwest girl's words about living on grace in Portland

Christmas is a time for traditions, maybe more than any other time of year. We all have rituals and customs that we grew up with, which signify and mark Christmas for us. When we start our own families, we add in more personalized traditions we hope to carry year after year.

Candlelight Service- One of my favorite traditions

Growing up, I remember taking cookies to our elderly neighbors and singing Christmas carols for them (I did not continue that tradition as an adult). I also remember sleeping on the dining room floor in front of the fireplace on Christmas Eve.

Once I got married and we began to move around, it began to get a little harder to keep the same routine every year. I fought hard to maintain those traditions, mostly because I don’t like change and those traditions were a sense of normalcy. But rarely does each year look the same as the last. You have kids, you lose loved ones, you move.

During the past few years, I have really began to embrace each year as a new opportunity. We can keep traditions from the past, if they work out. But if not, we can modify or start new ones. I have released the guilt and frustration of every year being different. We can capitalize on being in new places and exploring new things specific to that area. I have come to realize the only thing I need is Matt, Levi and Ellie. If I have them with me, it feels like Christmas. Everything else is just a bonus. So Merry Christmas to you. May you enjoy your traditions and embrace new opportunities as they arise.